Gravity biased grill wires

ABSTRACT

A toaster including a housing with a toasting compartment, a heater located in the housing, a food cage movably supported in the toasting compartment for movement between a gripping position and a receiving position and a carriage movably supported in the housing. The carriage is permitted movement between a toasting position adjacent a lower portion of the toasting compartment and a loading position adjacent an upper portion of the toasting compartment. The carriage may receive and support a food item to be toasted in the loading position. The food cage is positioned in the receiving position when the carriage is positioned in the loading position and is positioned in the gripping position when the carriage is positioned in the toasting position. The food cage is urged toward the gripping position by gravitational forces as the carriage moves toward the toasting position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application is a division of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/185,649, filed Jun. 28, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention is directed to toasters and, moreparticularly, to Gravity Biased Grill Wires for a toaster, which can beused to grip and center a food item within a toasting compartment of atoaster.

[0003] The general concept of toasters having food cages that grip andcenter food items in a toasting position is commonly used to hold a fooditem within a toasting compartment such that either side of the fooditem is heated or toasted evenly. Even toasting of either side of a fooditem is desirable and can be accomplished by gripping and centering thefood item between heating elements of the toaster that are each heatedto a predetermined temperature.

[0004] It is generally well known to grip and center a food item using afood cage within a toasting compartment of a toaster by actuating thefood cage to grip the food item when a carriage contacts a lever of thefood cage. In a common configuration, a food carriage, which supportsthe food item to be toasted, travels toward a toasting position adjacenta base of the toaster and contacts a lever attached to the food cage.Contact between the carriage and the lever mechanically actuates thefood cage to grip the food item or actuates a spring to urge the foodcage toward a gripping position. The food cage generally attempts toposition the food item within the toasting compartment such that sidesof the food item are an equal distance from the heating elements. Thefood cage gripping mechanisms are generally comprised of eithermechanical contacts between the food carriage and the food cage and/orspring loaded actuators that urge the food cage toward the grippingposition.

[0005] For several reasons, prior art food cages for gripping andcentering food items may be complicated and unreliable. Initially,spring actuated gripping food cages have a tendency to wear and becomeless effective with age. Such a phenomenon can be exaggerated when thespring is used in high temperature applications adjacent toastingcompartments of a toaster. In addition, the inherent hysteresis effectof mechanical springs tends to degrade the spring constant of a springand spring performance. In addition, mechanical levers that actuategripping of a food item through contact with a food cage may fail due toan overload placed upon the lever by inserting an oversized food iteminto the food cage. The extreme temperatures of a toasting compartmentmay also exaggerate the stresses and fatigue response of the mechanicalfood cage grippers.

[0006] The Gravity Biased Grill Wires of the present invention aredesigned to overcome the limitations of prior art food grippers.Specifically, the Gravity Biased Grill Wires are comprised of food cagesthat grip and center a food item within a toasting compartment withoutthe use of mechanical contact between a carriage and the food cages andwithout the use of springs or other biasing elements that urge the foodcages toward a gripping position. Accordingly, the mechanical failuresseen in the prior art food gripping cages are generally not encounteredwith the Gravity Biased Grill Wires. Specifically, the Gravity BiasedGrill Wires utilize the weight of the food item and/or the food cagesthemselves to urge the food cages toward a gripping position and tocenter the food item within a toasting compartment. Therefore, theGravity Biased Grill Wires eliminate springs that have properties thatdegrade and mechanical levers, which may encounter extreme load failuresand/or fatigue failures if oversized food items are positioned withinthe food cage.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Briefly stated, the present invention is directed to a toasterfor toasting foodstuffs. The toaster is comprised of a housing includinga toasting compartment and a heater located within the housing. A foodcage is movably supported in the toasting compartment for movementbetween a gripping position and a receiving position. A carriage ismovably supported in the housing for movement between a toastingposition adjacent a lower portion of the toasting compartment and aloading position adjacent an upper portion of the toasting compartment.The carriage is configured to receive and support a food item to betoasted in a loading position. The food cage is positioned in thereceiving position when the carriage is positioned in the loadingposition and is positioned in the gripping position when the carriage ispositioned in the toasting position. The food cage is urged toward thegripping position by gravitational forces exerted by the food cageitself and the food item as the food item on the carriage moves towardthe toasting position.

[0008] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a methodof gripping and centering a food item in a toasting compartment of atoaster. A method of gripping and centering the food item of the GravityBiased Grill Wires includes the initial step of inserting the food itemonto a carriage that is positioned in a receiving position in thetoasting compartment. The carriage is then urged toward a toastingposition where the food item is deposited onto a food cage such thatgravitational forces exerted by the food item urge the food cage to gripand center the food item within the toasting compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment of the invention, will be betterunderstood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For thepurpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings anembodiment which is presently preferred. It should be understood,however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsand instrumentalities shown.

[0010] The present invention will hereinafter be described inconjunction with the appended drawing figures, wherein like numeralsdenote like elements, and:

[0011] In the drawings:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a right-side perspective view of a toaster with thehousing cut away, a food cage and a carriage with a second food cage andcarriage removed from the toaster in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a right-side perspective view of the food cage, carriageand an end wall of the toaster shown in FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the carriage, food cage and end wallof the toaster shown in FIG. 2;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the food cage, carriage andend wall of the toaster shown in FIG. 2, in a loading and receivingposition; and

[0016]FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the food cage, carriage andend wall of the toaster shown in FIG. 2, in a gripping and toastingposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numeralsindicate like elements throughout, there is shown in FIGS. 1-5, apreferred embodiment of a toaster, generally designated 10, for toastinga food item 12 (see FIG. 5), such as a slice of bread, in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, the toaster 10 includes a housing 14 with aheating or toasting compartment 16. In the preferred embodiment, thehousing 14 includes a base 18, side walls 20, a pair of end walls 22 anda top cover 24 including at least a bread slot 24 a. The cover 24 mayinclude a single bread slot 24 a, a pair of bread slots 24 a, 24 b, asshown in FIG. 1, or any number of bread slots desired by a user,depending upon the capacity of the specific toaster 10. It is preferredthat the housing 14 be constructed of resilient, rigid metallic sheetmaterial. A heater 26 is located within the housing 14 for heating thetoasting compartment 16. It is preferred that the heater 26 beconstructed of an electric resistance type heater for heating thetoasting compartment 16, however, one skilled in the art will realizethat the heater 26 is not so limited and may be comprised of any devicethat heats the toasting compartment 16 and food item 12 to a preferredtoasting temperature.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 2, the toaster 10 further includes a food cage28 supported in the toasting compartment 16 for movement between agripping position (see FIG. 5) and a receiving position (see FIG. 4).The food cage 28 is comprised of a first food cage assembly 28 a and asecond food cage assembly 28 b. The food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b areeach comprised of an upper support rod 30, 30′, a lower support rod 32,32′, at least one L-shaped support wire 34, 34′ and at least oneZ-shaped support wire 36, 36′. The rods 30, 30′, 32, 32′ and wires 34,34′, 36, 36′ are preferably constructed from galvanized wire or chromecoated steel. However, the rods 30, 30′, 32, 32′ and wires 34, 34′, 36,36′ are not limited to galvanized wire and chrome coated steelconstructions and may be manufactured from any generally stiff,resilient material that can take on the shape of the rods 30, 30′, 32,32′ and wires 34, 34′, 36, 36′ and operate in the relatively hightemperature environment of the toasting compartment 16. For example, therods 30, 30′, 32, 32′ and wires 34, 34′, 36, 36′ may be constructed of astainless steel material. The upper support rods 30, 30′ and lowersupport rods 32, 32′ are positioned generally parallel to a supportsurface 40 of the toaster 10 and the L-shaped support wires 34, 34′ andZ-shaped support wires 36, 36′ are positioned generally perpendicular tothe support surface 40. The L-shaped and Z-shaped support wires 34, 34′,36, 36′ are secured to the upper and lower support rods 30, 30′, 32,32′.

[0020] In the preferred embodiment, the L-shaped and Z-shaped supportwires 34, 34′, 36, 36′ are spot welded to the upper and lower supportrods 30, 30′, 32, 32′, as shown in the attached figures. However, onehaving ordinary skill in the art will realize that securing the upperand lower support rods 30, 30′, 32, 32′ to the L-shaped and Z-shapedsupport wires 34, 34′, 36, 36′ is not limited to spot welding and mayinclude any attachment method that holds the upper and lower supportrods 30, 30′, 32, 32′ relative to the L-shaped and Z-shaped supportwires 34, 34′, 36, 36′ in a predetermined position. For example, theL-shaped and Z-shaped support wires 34, 34′, 36, 36′ may be adhesivelybonded, mechanically clamped or mechanically fastened to the upper andlower support rods 30, 30′, 32, 32′.

[0021] The food cage 28 is pivotally supported by the end walls 22 atpivot points 38, 38′ adjacent the base 18. In the preferred embodiment,the pivot points 38, 38′ are comprised of circular penetrations drilledinto the end walls 22. The ends of the lower support rods 32, 32′ restin the pivot points 38, 38′ and are able to rotate about the pivotpoints 38, 38′ due to the generally circularly-shaped cross section ofthe lower support rods 32, 32′ and the generally circular shape of thepivot points 38, 38′. The lower support rods 32, 32′ rotatably supportthe food cage 28 within the toasting compartment 16 at the pivot points38, 38′. The pivot points 38, 38′ are not limited to simple circulardrilled penetrations located adjacent the base 18 but may take on nearlyany shape, size and location that accommodates support and pivotalmovement of the food cage 28 about the pivot points 38, 38′. Forexample, the pivot points 38, 38′ may be comprised of generally squarepenetrations that accept generally square bearing housings, whichsupport and allow pivotal movement of the food cage 28. In addition, thepivot points 38, 38′ may be located nearly anywhere on the end walls 22,base 18 or housing 14 that permits support and pivotal movement of thefood cage 28.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 2-5, the toaster 10 further includes acarriage 44 movably supported in the housing 14 for movement between atoasting position (see FIG. 5) and a loading position (see FIGS. 2 and4). In the toasting position, the carriage 44 is positioned adjacent thebase 18 while in the loading position, the carriage 44 is positionedcloser to one of the bread slots 24 a, 24 b. When the carriage 44 is inthe toasting position, first ends 36 a, 36 a′ of the Z-shaped supportwires 36, 36′ extend into the toasting compartment 16 and support thefood item 12. In the preferred embodiment, the carriage 44 has agenerally sine-wave shape permitting the carriage 44 to travel throughthe toasting compartment 16 without contacting the first ends 36 a, 36a′ of the Z-shaped support wires 36, 36′ that extend into the toastingcompartment 16. One having ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatthe carriage 44 is not limited to the sine-wave shape and may becomprised of any shape that permits the carriage 44 to travel betweenthe toasting position and the loading position without coming intocontact with the first ends 36 a, 36 a′ of the Z-shaped support wires36, 36′. For example, the carriage 44 may have a square-wave shape,triangular-wave shape, serpentine shape or any other shape that permitsthe carriage 44 to travel between the toasting position and the loadingposition without coming into contact with the first ends 36 a, 36 a′ ofthe Z-shaped support wires 36, 36′.

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, when the food cage 28 ispositioned in the receiving position, the carriage 44 is positioned inthe loading position (see FIG. 4) and the food cage 28 is positioned inthe gripping position when the carriage 44 is positioned in the toastingposition. The carriage 44 is generally biased toward the loadingposition and is accommodated in its movement between the loadingposition and the toasting position, at least partially, by a guide slot22 a in at least one of the end walls 22. In the preferred embodiment,as the carriage 44 moves toward the loading position accommodated by theguide slot 22 a, contact between contact surfaces of the carriage 44 andthe food cage 28 cause the food cage 28 to move toward the receivingposition. Specifically, peaks of the sine-wave shaped carriage 44contact the L-shaped support wires 34, 34′ of the food cage 28 causingthe food cage 28 to move toward the receiving position. Accordingly, inthe preferred embodiment, the distance between the upper support rods30, 30′ will generally be at least as wide as a peak-to-peak width ofthe sine-wave shaped carriage 44. It is preferred that the distancebetween the upper support rods 30, 30′, in the loading position, is nowider than the peak-to-peak width of the carriage 44 such that a fooditem that is wider than the peak-to-peak width of the carriage 44 maynot be easily wedged into the food cage 28 and supported by the carriage44.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 5, when the carriage 44 is positioned in thetoasting position, the food cage 28 supports the food item 12 above thecarriage 44 in the toasting compartment 16. In addition, in the grippingposition, the food cage 28 is inhibited from over rotation by contactbetween the support wires 34, 34′, 36, 36′ and the food item 12positioned within the toasting compartment 16.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, ends of the lower support rods 32,32′ extend through the pivot points 38, 38′ such that centers of gravityCG, CG′ of the first and second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b areoffset toward a center of the toasting compartment 16 from a planedefined by the pivot points 38, 38′ and a line L, L′ extendingperpendicularly between the support surface 40 and an individual pivotpoint 38, 38′. This configuration of the centers of gravity CG, CG′ ofthe food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b, biases the food cage assemblies 28a, 28 b toward a gripping position. One skilled in the art will realizethat the lower support rods 32, 32′ are not limited to supporting thefirst and second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b and the first andsecond food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b may be gravitationally biasedtoward a gripping position by positioning their centers of gravity CG,CG′ toward a center of the toasting compartment 16 when compared to anyrotatable support point. For example, rotational supports may extendfrom the base 18 of the housing 14 to grip the lower support rods 32,32′ at a plane outward from the centers of gravity CG, CG′ of the firstand second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b. In addition, one skilled inthe art will realize that the centers of gravity CG, CG′ of the firstand second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b may be positioned on theabove-described plane or slightly offset away from the toastingcompartment 16 relative to the plane. In such a configuration, only theweight of the food item 12 on the food cage 28 urges the first andsecond food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b toward the gripping position whenthe carriage 44 descends to the toasting position. The key being thatthe food cage 28 grip and center the food item 12 when the carriage 44is in the toasting position without the use of springs or mechanicalcontact between the carriage 44 and food cage 28.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, it is preferred that stoppers 42extend generally perpendicularly from the end walls 22 and providelimits on the movement of the food cage 28 in the receiving position.The stoppers 42 provide an obstacle for over-rotation of the food cage28 toward the heaters 26. In the preferred embodiment, the stoppers 42are positioned relative to the end walls 22 and food cage 28 such thatthe upper support rods 30, 30′ contact the stoppers 42 in the receivingposition and block rotation of the upper support rods 30, 30′ and thefood cage 28 away from the toasting compartment 16 any further than thereceiving position. It is preferred that the upper support rods 30, 30′,L-shaped support wires 34, 34′ and Z-shaped support wires 36, 36′ do notrotate further than the receiving position away from the toastingcompartment 16 and come into contact with an adjacent food cage 28, theheaters 26 or the side walls 20 of the housing 14. Preferably, the foodcage 28 should not come into contact with the heaters 26, particularlyif the heaters 26 are electrical resistance-type heaters 26 and the foodcage 28 is comprised of an electrically conducting material. In thepreferred embodiment, the stoppers 42 are comprised of portions framedfrom the end walls 22 that are bent into a position extending generallyperpendicularly from the end walls 22. That is, the stoppers 42 arecomprised of portions of the end walls 42 that have been framed and bentinto a particular shape to facilitate contact between the stoppers 42and upper support rods 30, 30′ in the receiving position. However, thestoppers 42 are not limited to constructions including framed and bentportions of the end walls 22. For example, the stoppers 42 may becomprised of tabs that are secured to the end walls 22 and extend towardthe toasting compartment 16 to contact and hold the upper support rods30, 30′ and food cage 28 in the receiving position. In addition, thestoppers 42 are not limited to their preferred location extending fromthe end walls 22 on either side of the food cage 28 adjacent the breadslots 24 a, 24 b. For example, the stoppers 42 may be secured to orextend from the base 18 to contact one of the Z-shaped support wires 36,36′, L-shaped support wires 34, 34′ or the lower support rods 32, 32′ inthe receiving position to block rotation of the food cage 28 away fromthe toasting compartment 16 beyond the receiving position.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in operation, the food cage 28 isinitially positioned in the receiving position when the carriage 44 ispositioned in the loading position. The food cage 28 is held in thereceiving position through contact between peaks of the sine-wave shapedcarriage 44 and the L-shaped support wires 34, 34′. The first and secondfood cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b are prevented from an over rotationthrough contact between the upper support rods 30, 30′ and the stoppers42. The food item 12 is placed onto the carriage 44 between the firstand second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b having at least a portion ofthe food item 12 positioned within the toasting compartment 16. A userthen selects a toasting time or temperature at a control panel 48, usingbuttons or knobs that are well known in the art, and depresses anoperating knob 46 to urge the carriage 44 toward the toasting position.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, in the preferred embodiment, as thecarriage 44 moves toward the toasting position, the food cage 28 movestoward a gripping position urged by gravitational forces acting upon thefirst and second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b. The gravitationalforces F, F′ of the individual food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b act fromthe centers of gravity CG, CG′ resulting in rotational moments M, M′acting on the individual food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b, which urge arotation toward a center of the toasting compartment 16. The moments M,M′ are the result of the positioning of the pivot points 38, 38′ withrespect to the centers of gravity CG, CG′ of the individual food cageassemblies 28 a, 28 b.

[0029] As the carriage 44 moves from the loading position to thetoasting position the food item 12 is displaced onto the first ends 36a, 36 a′ of the Z-shaped support wires 36, 36′. When the carriage 44reaches the toasting position, a base of the food item 12 contacts andis supported by the first ends 36 a, 36 a′ of the Z-shaped support wires36, 36′ and the carriage 44 passes beyond the first ends 36 a, 36 a′ toa position adjacent the base 18. The weight of the food item 12 upon thefirst and second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b and the weight of thefood cages 28 a, 28 b themselves further urge the first and second foodcage assemblies 28 a, 28 b toward the gripping position by causing theupper support wires 30, 30′ to move toward each other. The food cage 28fully supports the food item 12 in the gripping position when thecarriage 44 is in the toasting position. In the gripping position, thefood cage 28 urges the food item 12 toward a center of the toastingcompartment 16 such that the heating elements 26 are generallypositioned an equal distance from either side of the food item 12.Accordingly, when the carriage 44 reaches the toasting position, theheating elements 26 begin heating and toasting either side of the fooditem 12 relatively equally. However, one skilled in the art will realizethat toasters 10 may be actuated to heat an individual heating element26 to a greater temperature than an opposing heating element 26, therebytoasting one side of a food item 12 more than the other even when theheating elements 26 are positioned at an equal distance from each sideof the food item 12. In addition, a food cage 28 and heating element 26may be positioned such that one side of the food item 12 is positionedat a variable distance from an opposing heating element 26 to heat oneside of the food item 12 more than another.

[0030] At the conclusion of a toasting cycle, the food carriage 44 isurged toward the food item 12, which is held by the food cage 28 in thegripping position. The carriage 44 contacts a bottom of the food item 12and releases a portion of the moments M, M′ urging the food cage 28toward the gripping position as the food item 12 is lifted from thefirst ends 36 a, 36 a. As the carriage 44 moves toward the loadingposition, peaks of the sine-wave shape of the carriage 44 again contactinner surfaces of the L-shaped support wires 34, 34′ urging the firstand second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b away from the grippingposition and toward the receiving position. When the carriage 44 reachesthe loading position the food item 12 is no longer gripped between thefirst and second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b and the food cageassemblies 28 a, 28 b are prevented from over rotating by the stoppers42. A user may then remove the toasted food item 12 from the toastingcompartment 16.

[0031] One having ordinary skill in the art will realize that thespecific arrangement shown in FIGS. 1-5 of the food cage 28 and carriage44 is not limited but may be comprised of any mechanical arrangementthat permits support of the food item 12 by the carriage 44 in a loadingposition and permits the food cage 28 to grip the food item 12 in agripping position urged by gravitational forces acting on the food cage28 and food item 12. In addition, one having ordinary skill in the artwill realize that the carriage 44 is positioned a predetermined distancebelow the food item 12 and first ends 36 a, 36 a′ in the toastingposition to permit movement of the carriage 44 toward the food item 12through the predetermined distance at the conclusion of the toastingcycle. Movement of the carriage 44 through the predetermined distancepermits power to be cut from the heating elements 26 even if the fooditem 12 becomes jammed within the toasting compartment 16. Cutting powerto the heating elements 26 even when jamming of the food item 12 occursprevents over heating or possible burning of the food item 12.

[0032] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a methodof gripping and centering the food item 12 in the toasting compartment16 of the toaster 10. The method of gripping and centering the food item12 in the toaster 10 includes inserting the food item 12 onto thecarriage 44 that is positioned in a receiving position within thetoasting compartment 16. The carriage 44, which is supporting the fooditem 12, is then urged toward a toasting position. The food item 12 isdeposited onto the food cage 28 such that gravitational forces exertedby the food cage 28 and the food item 12 urge the food cage 28 to gripand center the food item 12 within the toasting compartment 16. Thecarriage 44 is positioned adjacent the base 18 of the toaster 10 in thetoasting position, which actuates the heating elements 26 to energizeand heat the food item 12 during a predetermined toasting cycle. At aconclusion of the toasting cycle, the carriage 44 is urged toward thefood item 12 to return the food item 12 and food cage 28 to thereceiving position.

[0033] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changescould be made to the above-described embodiments without parting fromthe broad inventive concept thereof. For example, the centers of gravityCG, CG′ of the first and second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b may bepositioned directly in a plane with the perpendicular line L, L′ fromthe support surface 40 to the pivot points 38, 38′ or slightly offsetfrom the lines L, L′ as described above. In such an arrangement, thefirst and second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b may be balanced in thereceiving position and urged toward the gripping position by depositingthe food item 12 onto the first ends 36 a, 36 a′ creating moments M, M′that urge the first and second food cage assemblies 28 a, 28 b towardthe gripping position. Further, gravity biased grill wires are notlimited to the preferred embodiment including both the first and asecond food cage assembly 28 a, 28 b. A single gravity biased food cageassembly with an opposing stationary food cage assembly may grip a fooditem disposed into the toasting compartment 16 similar to theabove-described food cage 28. While the principles of the invention havebeen described above in connection with a specific apparatus, it is tobe clearly understood that this description is made only by way ofexample and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. A method of gripping and centering a food item in a toastingcompartment of a toaster comprising the steps of: a) inserting the fooditem onto a carriage that is positioned in a receiving position withinthe toasting compartment; b) urging the carriage toward a toastingposition; and c) depositing the food item onto a food cage such thatgravitational forces exerted by the food item urge the food cage to gripand center the food item within the toasting compartment.
 2. The methodof gripping and centering a food item in a toasting compartment of atoaster of claim 1 further comprising the step of: a) urging thecarriage toward the food item at a conclusion of a toasting cycle toreturn the food item to the receiving position.
 3. The method ofgripping and centering a food item in a toasting compartment of atoaster of claim 1 wherein at the conclusion of step (c) the carriage ispositioned adjacent a base of the toaster, which initiates a heater toenergize and heat the food item during a predetermined toasting cycle.